E/2019/43 E/C.19/2019/10 14. The Permanent Forum urges Member States to include indigenous peoples ’ rights in the outcomes of the 2019 Climate Summit called for by the SecretaryGeneral, which will be held on 23 September 2019. The Forum also recommends that States, the United Nations system, indigenous peoples’ organizations and other partners secure funding to ensure the adequate participation of indigenous peoples at the Summit and at the preparatory meetings. Discussion on the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages 15. Indigenous languages represent complex systems of knowledge that have bee n developed over thousands of years and are inextricably linked to lands, waters, territories and resources. Each indigenous language represents a unique framework for understanding the world in all its complexity and is a repository of traditional knowledge that is vital for sustaining the Earth’s biological diversity, finding effective responses to the challenges presented by climate change and providing important contributions to sustainable development, peacebuilding and reconciliation processes. 16. Indigenous languages are key to ensuring the continuation and transmission of culture, customs and history as part of the heritage and identity of indigenous peoples. The Declaration reflects the importance of indigenous languages and provides for indigenous peoples to have the rights to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their languages (art. 13), to establish and control their educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages (art. 14) and to establish their own media in their own languages (art. 16). In the Declaration, States are requested to take effective measures to ensure that these rights are protected (art. 13). 17. The Permanent Forum expresses concern for the state of the world’s indigenous languages. It is estimated that there are between 6,000 and 7,000 oral languages in the world today, most of them spoken by very few individuals. The Forum recommends the adoption of a rights-based approach towards indigenous language issues that considers the full spectrum of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Declaration. The Forum also recommends that Member States, the United Nations system, indigenous peoples’ organizations and other stakeholders share initiatives and strategies undertaken for, with and by indigenous peoples in order to recover, use and revitalize indigenous languages, including through the use of information and communication technologies. 18. The Permanent Forum thanks the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for its efforts as the lead United Nations agency for the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages. 1 The Forum recommends that UNESCO prepare a strategic outcome document of the 2019 International Year. The Forum invites Member States to consider discussing the outcome document at the General Assembly. 19. The Permanent Forum requests that UNESCO present a report to the Forum by 2020 on the implementation of the International Year of Indigenous Languages, on the basis of the action plan for organizing it (see E/C.19/2018/8). 20. The Permanent Forum welcomes the global launch of the International Year of Indigenous Languages on 28 January 2019 in Paris, led by UNESCO in cooperation __________________ 1 19-08162 The steering committee for the organization of the International Year is composed of States; representatives of indigenous peoples and institutions from the seven sociocultural regions; designated members of the three United Nations mechanisms (one member of the Permanent Forum, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and one member of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples); and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (advisory role). UNESCO serves as the secretariat of the committee. 7/28